


Stay

by Kitty514



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 04:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8734099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitty514/pseuds/Kitty514
Summary: Cisco is struggling to hold himself together but Harry is there to lend him a hand.





	

**Author's Note:**

> An anon on tumblr sent me a message about Cisco going to Earth-2 to clear his head about recent events, and it helped inspire this (super short) fic. So a big shoutout to you, anon :)

"Please stay."

Harry comes to a sudden stop at those words, whispered and full of pain. He turns around to face Cisco, who's curled up on the couch. Cisco has his arms wrapped around himself, like he's trying to keep himself held together. 

It's almost two in the morning. Harry is the last person in Cisco's apartment besides Cisco himself. Cisco had come through a breach after weeks of not seeing each other just to convince Harry and Jesse to come to his Christmas party. Jesse had wandered off with Wally an hour ago, and everyone else who'd gone to his party had left a few minutes earlier. 

Harry shifts from one foot to the other. He hadn't seen this change in demeanor coming so quickly from Cisco. Harry had barely suspected anything was wrong until the party had started to wind down. He's never been great at dealing with emotions, especially ones belonging to someone else. But if there’s anything he’s come to learn about himself, it’s that he can’t find it in himself to let Cisco down. He opts for sitting down next to Cisco gingerly, leaving a foot of space between them. 

Cisco stares forlornly at the empty space between them for so long that Harry feels the need to close it. He scoots towards Cisco until their thighs rest against one another. Cisco finally looks up at Harry. 

"Barry can't affect your earth, can he?" Cisco asks. “Because he’s been running back in time a lot.” 

Harry shakes his head. "His actions are unique to your earth. He doesn't have the ability to change my earth's timeline." It's meant more to be a concise explanation than a means for comfort, but he can still feel Cisco relax a bit. 

Harry takes a small breath. "Is this why you wanted me to stay? To explain to you the concept of inter-dimensional timelines?" 

Cisco snorts out a tiny laugh. "Good to know you're just like I remember." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

Cisco shrugs. "You're kind of rude. Kind of a jerk." 

Harry takes his glasses off and wipes them on the hem of his shirt, but he doesn't put them back on. "You're sadder than I remember."

"Yeah. I know." Cisco says, not even attempting to shrug the comment off. 

Harry studies Cisco's face. He's never been this close to Cisco before. Hasn't realized how much weight he carries in the simple gesture of a down-turned head. Harry wants to lift Cisco's head back up by the chin and let him know he's not alone. Because Harry knows what it looks like, what it feels like, to think you're taking on the world by yourself. 

"Hey, um," Cisco says, "do you want to go get some ice cream with me?" 

"It's fifteen degrees outside." Harry states matter-of-factly. "And two in the morning." 

Cisco shrugs again, but this time there's more joviality to it. "I know." 

"Fine." Harry finds himself agreeing without a second thought. 

Cisco smiles softly and that's enough to convince Harry that he's made the right decision. 

*** Harry shivers slightly. He stares up at the holiday decorations scattered along the walls of the ice cream shop. He didn’t even realize there were any places like this that stayed open so late. The only other people in the shop are a bored-looking employee and two people on what seems like a date. 

Cisco is sitting across from Harry, wrapped up in an oversized jacket. He’s shivering a little bit, too, as he eats his ice cream. Harry shakes his head in amusement. 

“Hey, I can see you doing that.” Cisco says. 

“It’s like you’re torturing both of us on purpose.” Harry says as he finishes his ice cream. “What’s next- jumping into a frozen lake?” 

“You don’t have to go around ruining my surprises like that.” Cisco grabs Harry’s empty cup and twists around to throw it and his own empty cup into the trash can behind him. When he turns back to Harry, he smiles. The smile falters a second later, making Harry’s stomach clench. “I, uh, guess we better find Jesse so I can get you two back to Earth-2.” 

“Jesse’s not going to be found if she doesn’t want to be.” Harry replies. “And I’m assuming she doesn’t want to be until much later.” 

Cisco nods. “Right. Should I take you back, then?” 

Harry mulls his options over momentarily. “Yes. But-” 

Cisco raises his eyebrows when Harry cuts himself off. “But?” 

Harry clears his throat and finds it hard to meet Cisco’s eyes. “There’s a meteor shower tonight. On Earth-2.” 

“And?” 

“And it’s a little better than jumping into a frozen lake.” 

Cisco blinks. “Are… are you inviting me to watch it with you?” 

“Yes.” 

“Oh.” Cisco breaths the word out like he’s just now discovering it. “Yeah. Yes. I’d love to.” 

Harry nods, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He checks his watch. It’s close to three in the morning. “It starts in an hour.” 

Cisco stands up and straightens his jacket. “Let’s go.” 

*** 

Harry silently watches Cisco out of the corner of his eye. Cisco is wandering around Harry’s office, inspecting new inventions that he’s still tinkering with. There’s a slouch to Cisco’s shoulders that didn’t use to be there a few months ago. 

Cisco speaks suddenly, breaking the companionable silence between them. “Am I different? Than the- the other Cisco you knew?” He’s not looking at Harry. 

“You mean before Barry started messing with the timeline?” Harry sits down at his desk. The meteor shower doesn’t start for another twenty minutes. 

Cisco nods. 

“Yes. And no.” 

Cisco glances over at Harry with his brow furrowed. He moves to sit in the chair on the other side of the desk. “Sometimes I get visions of the other timelines that I’ve lived. It makes it hard to remember what’s real and what’s not. I don’t even know if I’m who I’m supposed to be. It feels like I’m chasing after different pieces of myself that don’t all fit together.” 

“And who do you think you’re supposed to be?” Harry asks. 

“Someone happier.” Cisco replies quietly, looking down at his lap. 

Harry can’t find a way to reply verbally. He stands up instead and walks over to Cisco. He runs his hand gently across Cisco’s cheek, and lifts Cisco’s chin up. Cisco looks up at him with curiosity in his eyes for a long moment. He stands up, crowding Harry’s personal space. Then he backs up a couple steps, making Harry drop his hand from Cisco’s chin. 

“We’re going to miss the meteor shower.” Cisco says, meeting Harry’s eyes with his own. 

Harry nods. He leads Cisco out of his office and up to the roof. The air stings his face as he steps outside and holds the door open for Cisco. Cisco moves past him, wandering close to the edge of the roof. Harry stands next to him. The city set out before them seems almost devoid of life. Buildings and streets are still lit up in varying intensities, but there’s barely any movement. 

Harry stares up at the sky instead. The stars stare back at him, little bright specks that are light years away. Cisco moves closer to Harry, until their shoulders are touching. Harry takes a risk and wraps an arm around Cisco’s shoulders. Cisco melts into the touch, their sides flush against one another. He rests his head gingerly on Harry’s shoulder. 

Up above, a single streak of light travels across the sky. Two more follow after it a few minutes later. Then there’s another appearing and disappearing soon after. Cisco sighs, tension going out of his shoulders. Harry looks down at Cisco, an ache in his chest. It’s as if Cisco can sense it as he lifts his head, meeting Harry’s gaze. 

Cisco leans in until their lips are just brushing. The ache in Harry’s chest turns to warmth as he closes the gap and kisses Cisco. It’s a slow kiss, their warm breaths mingling in the cold air. Harry doesn’t want it to end. He doesn’t want to let Cisco go back to Earth-1 without him. 

Eventually, Harry has to pull away to catch his breath. It condenses in front of his face, creating a translucent screen between him and Cisco. Cisco breaks through the screen just to place a chaste kiss on Harry lips. 

Harry pulls Cisco into a hug, burying his nose in Cisco’s hair. “Please stay.” 

A small, whispered ‘I will’ is what he gets in response. 

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr](http://kitty-514.tumblr.com)  
>  Feel free to come chat with me about anything


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